Backstreet Girls - Mental Shakedown

The Norwegian rock ’n’ roll legends Backstreet Girls are back! Formed in Oslo in the mid eighties, the band immediately become a huge success in the live-circuit, and just weeks after releasing their self-financed debut album “Mental Shakedown” they were snapped up by the PolyGram label Mercury who immediately re-released the album.

The band split with PolyGram after four albums. At the same tim, this was 1991, the band also parted with vocalist Bjørn Muller and found a replacement in the Swede Olle Hillborg from Glorious Bankrobbers. He lasted for just one album, and so did the band on their new label Warner Bros. A live-album was released on a small independent company, a new vocalist was recruited in Englishman Pat Diamond. A new albuma was recorded, but as Pat disappeared, God knows where, and Bjørn Muller re-joined the band, this album has so far not seen the light of day. With Muller back in the band, Backstreet Girls started working on a totally new album, signed on FaceFront and released an inferno of hard, catchy rock ‘n’ roll album entitled “Hellway To High”. During late summer of 1999 the band entered the studio again, this time to record a mini-album filled with Christmas songs – some originals, some cover songs. The return of Backstreet Girls resulted in Universal/Mercury released a best of album with the band in December 2000.

In late 2000 the band entered the studio again to record their newest opus, “Tuff, Tuff, Tuff”, which turned to be another ride in the wild world of Backstreet Girls rock ‘n’ roll. A European tour with Rose Tattoo followed, and some live-recordings from that tour can be found on “Black Boogie Death Rock ‘N’ Roll”, along six new studio tracks.

A raw and powerful new studioalbum followed a year later, and “Sick My Duck” is regarded as one of the bands finest moments. After endless touring to support the album, the band started to work on new material during the winter of 2006. “Shake Your Stimulator” is a mixture of all the different sides of Backstreet Girls – power, boogie and high octane rock ‘n’ roll. Before the album was recorded, original drummer BeeTee Baarli left the band and was late in the recording session replaced with Swede Martin H-son from Rampant Dogs, after using a number of session drummers during the early days of recording.

Try to imagine a mix of AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, Angel City and Ramones and you have Backstreet Girls! Backstreet Girls are rock ‘n’ roll few bands can capture the energy and show as these guys on stage!

”The Hard Sweat Factor” [MyStageMusic]